The Commission to Oversee and Facilitate the Unification of the Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency was created by action of the 225th General Assembly (2022) in approving Recommendation 1 in the Report of the Special Committee on Per Capita Based Funding and National Church Financial Sustainability (FIN-10).
The Unification Commission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has recently taken several actions affecting agency leadership, staffing and structure over the past six weeks toward their goal of “facilitat[ing] the unification of the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) and the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) into a single agency.”
The process of redefining what ministry will look like in the new Interim Unified Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) became a little clearer on Monday. Plans were announced that will reconfigure several programs impacting the ministries of Theology, Formation & Evangelism; Compassion, Peace & Justice; the Presbyterian Historical Society; and Communications.
Over the past year, the Rev. Jihyun Oh, now Executive Director and Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), gathered with leaders, including the Rev. Bronwen Boswell, Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), and the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, President and Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, to support core mission and ministry priorities of the 2025–26 GA approved budget: support of mid councils, leadership development, reparative justice, life of the Communion, strategic partnerships and operations.
New Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA) takes next step in reimagining work going forward
Planning process includes reconfiguring ministry work. by Presbyterian News Service
Published: November 6, 2024
Unification Commission consolidates PC(USA) agencies, resulting in program changes and staff reduction. ‘Interim Unified Agency’ to be led by Stated Clerk Jihyun Oh.
by Gregg Brekke Published: November 21, 2024
Three weeks after their October Unification Commission meeting, Oh and denominational leaders announced the reconfiguration plan that included the reduction in force and the specified ministry areas’ restructure or elimination. The employees affected by the layoff received severance packages.
According to a Presbyterian News Service article, these changes include:
Reconfiguring the work of the Peacemaking Program, dissolving much of its work and eliminating all staff positions except one employee engaged in gun violence prevention, which will now reside in the Office of Public Witness.
Reconfiguring the Theology and Worship program area.
Integrating the Vital Congregations Program with 1001 New Worshiping Communities including integrating these programs more closely with the work of intercultural associates in Racial Equity and Women’s Intercultural Ministries (RE&WIM).
Reviewing the committee and board structure of the denomination. All meetings of the Presbyterian Historical Society Board, Educator Certification Committee and advisory committees related to One Great Hour of Sharing (advisory committees for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Self-Development of People and the Hunger Program) will pause in-person meetings in 2025 while the Unification Commission reviews all committees related to the Interim Unified Agency.
Reimagining the Presbyterian Historical Society Journal of Presbyterian History as an online ecclesial-focused publication.